1"For the kingdom of the heavens is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. [20:2] After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. [20:3] And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, [20:4] and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is just I will give you.' So they went. [20:5] Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. [20:6] And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' [20:7] They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.' [20:8] And when evening came, the master of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last up to the first.' [20:9] And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. [20:10] Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more. But each of them also received a denarius. [20:11] And on receiving it they grumbled against the master of the house, [20:12] saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them precisely equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' [20:13] But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? [20:14] Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. [20:15] Is it not permitted to me to do what I choose with what is mine? Or is your eye evil because I am generous?' [20:16] So the last will be first, and the first last."
MAT 20:1-16
The Parable of the Workers
In the world it was spoken into
In the agrarian economy of 1st-century Galilee, day laborers gathered in the marketplace (agora) at dawn, hoping to be hired for work. A denarius was the standard daily wage for such laborers, enough to sustain a family for a day. The householder’s actions reflect the patron-client system, where a landowner had significant social and economic power over workers. Hiring laborers at different hours—third, sixth, ninth, and eleventh—was unusual but not unheard of, especially during harvest seasons when urgency dictated labor needs. The payment of a denarius to all workers, regardless of hours worked, would have been seen as both generous and provocative. The term (equal) underscores the tension: while the householder fulfilled his contractual obligation to the first workers, his generosity to the last challenged the honor-shame economy, where fairness was often tied to effort and status. The (evil eye) accusation reflects the cultural belief that envy could harm both the envier and the envied.
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How other translations render this
MAT 20:1
- KJV
- For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
- BSB
- “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.
- Koinōnos
- For the kingdom of the heavens is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
MAT 20:2
- KJV
- And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
- BSB
- He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
- Koinōnos
- After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
MAT 20:3
- KJV
- And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
- BSB
- About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.
- Koinōnos
- And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
MAT 20:4
- KJV
- And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
- BSB
- ‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he said, ‘and I will pay you whatever is right.’
- Koinōnos
- and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is just I will give you.' So they went.
MAT 20:5
- KJV
- Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
- BSB
- So they went. He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing.
- Koinōnos
- Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same.
MAT 20:6
- KJV
- And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
- BSB
- About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ he asked.
- Koinōnos
- And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?
MAT 20:7
- KJV
- They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.
- BSB
- ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. So he told them, ‘You also go into my vineyard.’
- Koinōnos
- They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.
MAT 20:8
- KJV
- So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
- BSB
- When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last ones hired and moving on to the first.’
- Koinōnos
- And when evening came, the master of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last up to the first.
MAT 20:9
- KJV
- And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
- BSB
- The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius.
- Koinōnos
- And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.
MAT 20:10
- KJV
- But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
- BSB
- So when the original workers came, they assumed they would receive more. But each of them also received a denarius.
- Koinōnos
- Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more. But each of them also received a denarius.
MAT 20:11
- KJV
- And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
- BSB
- On receiving their pay, they began to grumble against the landowner.
- Koinōnos
- And on receiving it they grumbled against the master of the house,
MAT 20:12
- KJV
- Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
- BSB
- ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’
- Koinōnos
- saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them precisely equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.
MAT 20:13
- KJV
- But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
- BSB
- But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Did you not agree with me on one denarius?
- Koinōnos
- But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?
MAT 20:14
- KJV
- Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
- BSB
- Take your pay and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you.
- Koinōnos
- Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you.
MAT 20:15
- KJV
- Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
- BSB
- Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
- Koinōnos
- Is it not permitted to me to do what I choose with what is mine? Or is your eye evil because I am generous?
MAT 20:16
- KJV
- So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
- BSB
- So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
- Koinōnos
- So the last will be first, and the first last.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
MAT 20:1
- Like:The word translated 'Like' here implies a direct comparison, suggesting that the kingdom of heaven is not just similar to, but precisely analogous to, the following parable.
MAT 20:2
- and:The term translated 'agreed' or 'contracted' here literally means to 'sound together' or 'be in harmony,' highlighting the mutual and explicit nature of the agreement made.
MAT 20:12
- and:The word translated 'equal' here emphasizes a precise equivalence in measure or value, not just a general similarity.
MAT 20:15
- of you:The word translated 'evil' or 'bad' here carries a sense of being morally corrupt or malicious, not merely unfortunate or poor in quality.